darrell hammond

Former 'Saturday Night Live' star Darrell Hammond can impersonate almost anybody, but Friday 'Today' (weekdays, 7am on NBC) he talked to Matt Lauer about how difficult it has been to be himself. In his new book 'God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked' he writes about the effects of being abused by his mother both physically and mentally. "I lived a lot longer than I thought I was going to and I had a lot of good doctors and a lot of help," Hammond explained.

Matt asked about the infamous incident when when Hammond was escorted out of 30 Rock in a straight jacket after having a psychotic episode. "Well, it was a rough patch of road ... but I don't want to behave as if life is a terrible thing," Hammond said. When Matt asked him if could enjoy life these days, Hammond said that the fear of going back to his dark psychological place is a constant struggle, even though it hasn't happened in a while.

Tina Fey returned to the stage that made her famous when she hosted 'Saturday Night Live' (Sat., 11:30PM ET on NBC). She hinted about her most famous impression in the opening monologue, and then later she popped on those glasses and Sarah Palin was back!

But Fey didn't return for this 'SNL' take on the recent Republican debate alone. She was joined on stage by impressionist Darrell Hammond doing his classic Donald Trump, as well as the usual cast playing some of the other Republican candidates. But it was Fey and Hammond who stole the show.

"I just hope tonight that the lamestream media won't twist my words by repeating them verbatim," Fey said in character. She took a moment to acknowledge the elimination of one of "the world's great villains," Katie Couric.

Fans mounted online campaigns in support of Cook and her character, J.J., but the only result was a two-episode swan song earlier this season.

UPDATE: Cook took to Twitter to confirm the news. She's returning for Paget Brewster's final episode of the CBS series.

In other casting news ...

• 'Little Fockers' star Teri Polo has landed a TV role in ABC's 'Man Up!', a comedy about what it's like to live as a modern man. She'll play a "super-mom who is addicted to Facebook." She also scored the lead in the Hallmark movie 'A Taste of Romance.' [Deadline Hollywood]

• Chris Messina has joined the cast of DirecTV's 'Damages.' The 'Julie & Julia' actor will play a former soldier friend of Ellen Parsons who is recruited to work for a shadowy private security firm in Afghanistan. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Jane Lynch and Kiefer Sutherland will lend their voices to episodes in season 23 of 'The Simpsons.' Lynch will play Homer's new assistant -- who then takes his job. Sutherland will play a very Jack Bauer–esque character who heads to Springfield to escape his enemies. [TV Guide]

Nearly 30 years of one of American television's most storied and beloved traditions (i.e. portraying our presidents as moronic simpletons whose inability to tie their own shoes could send the country to Defcon 3) came to a glorious fountain of awesomeness at Funnyordie.com.

The website premiered a new public service announcement on federal finance laws directed by Ron Howard in the form of a very funny "Presidential Reunion" sketch that features the likes of Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, Dana Carvey, Dan Aykroyd and even Chevy Chase reviving their classic impressions of former presidents including (respectively) George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., Jimmy Carter and (the most hilarious in my opinion) Gerald Ford who come together to help the beleaguered Barack Obama, played by Fred Armisen. Jim Carrey also stepped in the room to play Ronald Reagan probably because Randy Quaid is nuttier than a Payday bar these days.

(S35E12) First of all, Sigourney Weaver looks incredible. Believe it or not, she turns 61 this year, so that's something to think about as we slowly weep into our young but round, Cheetos-stained fingers. Secondly, Weaver managed to play a variety of characters that explored a wide range of wackiness, all without humiliating herself (it was a dangerous moment during that "Fifty and Freaky" sketch but we all knew Weaver's still a classy lady).

The writing was pretty consistent and suited Weaver well, and it was fun to see her do so many goofy things. It's not often Saturday Night Livebrings in someone that of her status. Let's be honest here.

(S35E02) After that Jenny Slate f-bomb nonsense and Megan Fox's not terribly original hot girl material from the season premiere, it was exciting to see a really solid episode (and a star-studded one, at that). Ryan Reynolds did a fantastic job as host (snaps for his wavering voice during the porcelain fountains sketch and accent in SYTYCD), though he didn't have any major stand-out roles. Did I miss the memo that Lady Gaga wasn't just musical guest but co-host as well? Such a role is normally left up to Ryan Reynolds' giant biceps.

It's been a while since we've seen such consistently enjoyable writing in an episode. Usually, there's a distinct lull during the course of the 90 minutes, but I didn't feel it this time. Hopefully, this is a good indication of the rest of the season.

(S34E23) Wow. Way to go, Will Ferrell. Maybe they should just bring back Saturday Night Live alumni for season finales from now on, because this episode was spectacular. Ferrell brought back some old favorites and a slew of famous faces, from the familiar to the inexplicable, including Amy Poehler, Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway and Artie Lange. Here are some video highlights from the evening (Hulu vids are US only. Sorry, kids... you can also watch these videos at NBC's website).

(S34E21) When it came to everything unrelated to jazz hands, my expectations for Zac Efron were pretty low. Then again, there was part of me that kept thinking back to Justin Timberlake's first time hosting; he was just another song-and-dance good guy but the enthusiasm and craziness he brought to his performances blew everyone away. Okay, so Efron didn't do as well as Timberlake, but as the evening progressed, Efron seemed to get a little more comfortable and delivered a not-too-cingeworthy performance. Consider that a massive victory.

(S34E19) It's a great, big homecoming party for Tracy Morgan and he brought enough jaunty delivery for us all. I'll admit, if anyone else were to try and pull off this type of delivery, I'd be pretty annoyed. However, it's Tracy Morgan and he's got this choppy, unrealistic speech down to an art. It has become him, I guess. This episode had a few strong moments here and there, but overall, it was an "all right" episode. At least we got to revisit some old favorites from Tracy Morgan's featured player days.

Now, check out some video highlights from the evening. Also, note to self: I will stop typing "Tracy Jordan", I will stop typing "Tracy Jordan"...

(S34E16) It was pretty obvious there was going to be at least two sketches with the Jonas Brothers. I called it! I mean, no one apart from the people in my apartment know I called it, but that doesn't change the facts or my sad sense of accomplishment. I had to tune out once they started singing (sorry, 15 year-old girls), but their skits were all right. Alec Baldwin did a fine job of hosting as well, though there weren't any particularly striking sketches. I suppose after doing something like "Schwetty Balls", just about everything else will pale in comparison.

(S34E15) Bradley Cooper, who are you and what are you doing on Saturday Night Live? I IMDb'd him before watching the episode and despite having seen many of his projects, I still couldn't attach him to anything. Is he best known for something? Or is He's Just Not That Into You his big break-out? Well, regardless, his performance in this episode wasn't mind-blowing, but at least it wasn't cringe-worthy either (exceptions can be considered for the Christian Bale sketch). The writers didn't give him anything terribly exciting and in the end we were left with a pretty forgettable episode. Here are some video highlights.

(S34E12) It's just as we thought, everyone: Neil Patrick Harris is awesome. Why did it take SNL so long to bring in NPH? It seems cruel, almost, to make us wait like this. Even though the sketches this week were not particularly spectacular or groundbreaking, NPH's delivery and enthusiasm made the ride really fun. Unless his backstage demands and antics were too crazy for the SNL gang to handle, there's no reason to hold back on multiple returns.

(S34E11) Can you hear the ladies and British comedy fans screaming? It's Hugh Laurie! The writing this week was stronger than usual, but I could not help but feel like they didn't use Hugh Laurie enough. When you get someone like that on the show, you better make sure the audience is sick of seeing him by the end of the episode. That said, Mr. Laurie did beautifully with what he was given and he's well on his way to becoming a regular host. Check out these video highlights from the episode.

(S34E10) The majority of this episode was pretty good. John Malkovich didn't contain the same contagious energy as other hosts this season, like Anne Hathaway or Tim McGraw, but infused the episode with his own... Malkovich-ness. Anyone that has seen his work knows what I'm talking about. I especially liked it when he introduced the musical guest(s), because it was hilariously obvious that he's never heard of any of these guys. Speaking of the musical guests, does T.I. really have a song about waving Gucci scarves in the air instead of dancing at the club? I feel like that's more of a surefire way to get shot at a club than carrying a gun in your sweatpants.

(S34E08) This episode was warmed up like biscuits. Dance biscuits. I swear to God, I will find a way to work that into a conversation some time in the near future. This was certainly the strongest episode of the season, as the writers didn't seem quite so afraid to have fun with the more pointless or tasteless jokes. Sometimes, they try to do something bizarre but stop just short of a satisfying pay-off, leaving a palpable awkwardness. In this episode, they really pulled through and, thanks to some special appearances (hello, Justin Timberlake), gave Mr. Paul Rudd a very memorable episode. Check out some highlights from the episode.